Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A Sudden Turn

For an entire week that kunai stayed jammed into the tree trunk high above our heads. Every day after the academy retrieving it became Akio's and my only goal. Not that we had much of a choice. After the second day we gave up and tried to do some sparring instead but Neji told us that we had not finished our teamwork practice and pointed to the dreaded tree. We tried climbing it, but there are no low reaching branches, and the tree is too wide to properly get a good grip on it. We kept slipping off, and finally called it quits when Akio scraped his knee against the rough bark when he tried to stop himself from falling. The skin did not break but we figured it was only a matter of time until one of use bleed. The next thing we tried was climbing other trees that had lower branches to get high enough where we could jump into our target tree. I, against my better judgment, was the first one to try to make the jump because I lost at rock paper scissors. The tree I chose to climb is about five feet away from the target tree. I knew it was too far to jump using normal strength. So I started to charge up my chakra, sending it to the soles of my feet but before I could spring off Neji stopped me by calling out, "try it and you'll be running laps". After that he forbade us from trying to get the kunai without him present with his arms crossed and exasperation clear in his voice. Evidently he does not trust us to not hurt ourselves. Akio and I then thought about simply not showing up to the training field for a while, but figured that as soon as we did Neji would point to the same tree with the silent command to get back to it since he did not let us switch to sparring the first time we tried to quit. I also started to wonder why some other shinobi has not fetched the kunai out of pure curiosity of suspicion. Ninja's normally do not leave their weapons out in the open, where it can be used to someone else's advantage. Even if it is just one kunai. But I did not care enough to ask.

On Friday, having gone back to our first idea of just climbing the tree and still failing I came up with the strategy of asking Neji to get the kunai. I mean, the kunai was lodged into the tree because we told him we wanted to work on teamwork. So under that pretense asking him for help would be practicing teamwork, even if Neji is our superior and will never be on the same level to actually be on the same team. When I told Akio my idea he scoffed and said, "If he was willing to get it for us he wouldn't have thrown it up there in the first place".

And he was right. But having ignored Akio's input I had gone ahead and asked Neji anyway. With a raised eyebrow, looking at me like I had grown a second head, Neji just stared. A few long drawn out seconds later, enough time for my face to turn pink as I already had the feeling that I was requesting something stupid, he gave me his answer. Of course it was not what I wanted to hear, but I had to try, seeing as Akio and I are running out of ideas. Neji's answer was, "If you don't want to retrieve it then you shouldn't have been trying to take it from my procession in the first place". He left no room for further argument, and I went back to a snickering Akio with my tail between my legs. Retrieving the kunai had never been about practicing team work. It had always been Neji's form of revenge on us for trying to mess with him. We should have known better. What was wrong with us?

Today, when Akio and I left the academy we had a new plan. Akio has obtained some of his father's ninja wire and I took a wire clothes hanger from home. Our plan is to bend the clothes hanger into a hook that can snag on to the end of the kunai. Then tie the ninja wire to the clothes hanger and pull the kunai down. We are really desperate. Both of us have blisters on our hands from all of our climbing efforts. And every day after we fail I go home and wash and bandage my hands, praying that they would be able to climb again tomorrow, and for a pair of gloves. Akio had a different experience. Before the academy started this morning we were comparing blisters and Akio said that when his father saw them he had laughed, clapped Akio on the shoulder and said, "That's good son. It'll turn into callouses. Make you a man". But either way we do not want to add to our collection of blisters so we came up with the homemade grappling hook idea. In all honesty it is a last ditch effort. I do not think we will be able to come up with anything else. Unless we wait until we are genin and have learned to walk up trees. But that is not going to happen any time soon.

Once at the training field, we sit down on the grass with our backs facing a training Neji. I started bending and shaping the clothes hanger and Akio takes the ninja wire out of his pocket and starts to unwind it. Both of us wince whenever our supplies rub against out sores a little too hard. I make the adjustment on the hook and hold it up for Akio to see. "Do you think this is good?"

He nods his head. "Yea looks good", he said, reaching out his right hand for it. I give it to him and watch as he sets it down in front of him and starts to tie the end of the wire onto the original hook, the end that you would use to hang up on a clothes rack. Once his knot is complete Akio stands up, and I follow suit. He tugs on the wire, testing the knot one last time before asking, "Who's better at throwin'? I don't know how to use this. They don't teach grapple throwin' at the academy".

I shrug, before reaching up and flicking some stray hair out of my face. "I do not know how to use it either. How about we take turns?" I asked, finding a way to give us equal chances to fail or succeed.

Akio nods his head. "Sounds good. I'll go first!" With wire and hook in hand he takes off for the tree containing the kunai, with me at his heels, ignoring the jonin who has paused in his training to watch us with an amused expression on his face, enjoying his revenge. We really should have known better that to try to mess with Neji.

At the base of the tree I step a couple feet to the left to give Akio room as he grips the spool of wire in his left hand and holds the end of the wire attached to the hook in the other. Leaning back a little he bits his lip in concentration and pulls his right hand back before he starts to twirl the hook around and around. It gains speed quickly, and I start to feel a little nervous about how close it is to Akio's head, hoping that he does not hit himself. Only seconds later Akio stretches his right arm up, and with a flick of his wrist he releases the hook. We watch with anticipation as the hook sails up into the air, and the spool in Akio's hand unwinds more and more wire. A moment later is makes contact with the tree trunk with a thunk at about what looks like eight inches under the kunai before it starts falling back down to the ground. Akio takes a small step to the right to give the hook lots of room to land as we both watch it hit the plush grass of the training field with a soft thud. A moment of silence passes over us as we stare at our home made hook.

I snap my eyes up to look at Akio before saying, "Well that was not too bad. It looked like you were pretty close".

Akio nods his head as he starts the wind up the wire to get it ready for a second attempt. "It was almost there". He agreed before handing me the spool of wire and hook. "Your turn Manami", he said as he stepped away from the tree, and I took the place that he was originally occupying.

This goes on for a while. Each of us tries once before switching. By the third turn Neji lost interest in our antics and went back to training. Probably happy that for once we are not pestering him to help us train. We only made contact with the kunai once, but it was not a secure hit and the hook bounced off the hilt of the kunai before gravity took over. The sun was setting, and we were just about to give up when Akio releases the hook. His aim is a little off and the hook connects to a tree branch. Akio gives the spool a couple of tugs, but it does not budge. Thinking that this idea is now a complete failure since had we lost half of our tool I am ready to call it quits for the day when Akio suddenly gains this look of inspiration on his face. "We can use this to climb up!"

I look at his face before following the wire with my eyes to where the hook dangles from before looking at Akio again. "Do you think it can hold?" I asked. After all, the hook is made out of a clothes hanger. It cannot be that strong.

Akio opens his mouth to respond, but seems to think better of it because he quickly closes it and instead pulls at the wire once more, putting all of his weight into it. This time a few leaves are shook free before the hook gives way and snaps, causing Akio to fall backwards onto his rear as the broken hook lands at his feet. Akio sighs a sigh that describes my disappointment perfectly. "Yea, guess ya were right", he mumbled as he pushes himself up. I pick up the broken hook and until the wire from it so that Akio to wind it up and take it back to his father. "Wanna try again tomorrow? Since its Sunday the academy won't get in the way. We can meet up in the market place around noon?"

I nod my head, lazily fiddling with the hook. "Okay. That will be better than sitting around my apartment all day", I agreed, failing to add the fact that I would also be alone in my apartment. Naruto has not come back yet. So I can only assume that he is still training, or that he got eaten by that creeping tadpole thing. I shudder, I really hope it is the first assumption that is true.

Akio nods to show that he heard me before casting one last look at the kunai and shoving the spool of wire into his pocket. He turns to the direction of his home and waves "See ya", he calls.

I raise a hand in response even though he cannot see it, before lying down in the grass with the hook in hand, staring up at the sky. I do not want to go back to the apartments. Not as long as Naruto is not there.

Eventually I do make it back to the apartments. But not until the sun had fully set and the street lights had been turned on. For dinner I ate some instant ramen in honor of my potentially tadpole thing consumed brother before I flopped down on my bed. I wish that I will fall asleep quickly so that I will be able to get up sooner and go back to the training field so I will not be alone.

Sunday morning drags by. I spend most of it stretching out my muscles and wrapping up my healing hands. And when I am not doing that I stare at the wall that my apartment shares with Naruto's apartment, missing his sounds that leak through. When we both have a day off I can usually hear him snoring during the morning.

I left my apartment a little before noon and head for the center of the market place. Akio and I figured out a while ago that the center of the market place is a spot of equal distance from our homes and is one of the best places to meet up. With my hands in my pockets I look at the activity of the village as I walk. There are the regular merchants and buyers out selling and shopping but there is more mirth in their voices than there usually is on the other days of the week. There are more children, younger than me, running around playing as well. The sun is as bright as always and all in all it seems to be a very peacefully day in the leaf village. I smile a little to myself. Maybe this will be the day that we finally get that kunai.

The center of the market place is in front of a small tea shop. I end up standing there for a couple of minutes staring idly at the people that pass by. No one except the elderly enters or leaves this particular tea shop so I get a couple of weird looks from people. They are probably wondering why a ten year old is standing in front of it. Akio comes running soon after, waving a blotching red hand. It seems that he is still recovering from his blisters as well. "Manami", he greeted as he comes to a stop in front of me, not out of breath in the least. "I thought I'd beat ya here this time".

I took my hands out of my pockets and smile at him, glad that someone is talking to me. "I got bored", I half lied. I really was bored in my apartment. But I left early because I just could not handle the lonely silence any longer.

Akio accepts my answer as he moves forward with our conversation. "So I was thinkin' that we could get some food before we try for that kunai again. My mom gave me some money so I can pay for us both", he said with a cheerful grin on his face.

In response I find my own smile growing until I can feel it pushing my cheeks up. In all my life only five people could get me to smile like this; my mother, father, brother, Naruto and Akio. It feels nice to smile like this. "That is kind of her. Where do you want to eat?" I asked, confident that this is going to be a good day.

"I thought we…" Akio stops, with his mouth hanging open as he stares at something behind and above me. My smile slowly slips off my face as his expression starts to become more serious. What is going on? I open my mouth to ask him what is wrong when I hear something that sounds like fireworks from behind me. I spin around and look up over the tea shop to see four things shooting off to different parts of the village leaving trails of smoke behind them. Those four things are soon followed by the sounds of collisions. All around us the villagers stop whatever they are doing and start to mumble to themselves nervously. Their eyes start to shift left and right looking for any of the village shinobi that they can alert. Keeping my eyes on where I saw the smoke I step backwards until I am shoulder to shoulder with Akio.

"What do you think that was?" I asked him.

"I don't know, but not anything good", he said, his voice now empty of all his previous cheer. Instantly I feel my own good mood vanish. Akio knows the village better than I do. If he says this is bad then I do not doubt him. We may have not have seen where those firework like things landed but seconds later four giant centipede like things with spikes sticking through their heads appear towering over buildings. All around us I hear screams of fright and gasps of shock. We are far away from all of those things, but still choose enough to feel terror. Is the village under attack again? Or are those centipedes like Naruto's toads? Suddenly I feel this force on my right hand, and tear my glaze away from the distant centipedes to see that Akio has grabbed my hand. Just like he did the last time the village was under attack. "We should head for the monument", he said not taking his eyes off of the space behind the tea shop. "Get to the evacuation shelter". Akio turns away and pulls me with him as he starts towards the hokage monument just as loud echoes of screams sound from all over the village. Akio's grip on my hand tightens and I gulp. We speed up into a run. Akio is right we need to get out of here.

Soon other civilians get the same idea that Akio had and are running in the same direction as us. Akio leads as we weave and dodge around the other citizens of Konoha. Everyone is trying to get to the evacuation shelters as quickly as possible. Upper level shinobi jump from roof to roof ignoring the civilians completely as the chunin start to yell out orders to make for the monument, and the genin start assisting the elderly and separated children. It is amazing how quickly things can take a turn.

All around us we hear the smashing of buildings, cries of pain and terror and see more and more puffs of smoke and dust blow up into the sky. I keep faltering in my steps every time something new appears. This is nothing like the last attack, isolated to one part of the village. It is all over! Akio never stumbles or slows down. I am sure that his parents have prepared him for this, just like the first time the village was under attack, he knew exactly what to do. But I know he is just as scared as I am because whenever there is a new scream or explosion his grip tightens. What happened to our nice, fun Sunday?